Sleeving apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for sleeving butcher&#39;&#39;s netting onto a magazine comprising, a sleeving device having an opening therein, a supply of netting extending through the opening to the magazine, guide means and resilient fingers integral with the sleeving device and surrounding the opening and extending thereinto, the resilient fingers having offset free ends adapted for engagement with the netting on the magazine, whereby, upon movement of the sleeving device in one direction the guide means guide the apparatus relative to the magazine and the offset free ends of the fingers engage the netting and load it onto the magazine, and upon movement of the sleeving device in an opposite direction, the guide means guide the apparatus relative to the magazine and the offset free ends of the fingers slide freely relative to the netting preparatory for the next purchase.

United States Patent Soodalter [54] SLEEVING APPARATUS [72] Inventor: Arnold Soodalter, 134 Tanglewood Drive, Longmeadow, Mass. 01106 [22] Filed: Nov. 6, 1970 [21] App1.No.: 87,559

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part 0f Ser. No. 41,005, May

27, 1970, Pat. No. 3,657,861.

[52] US. Cl. ..53/197, 17/42, 53/390 [51] Int. Cl.....B6Sb 63/00, B65b 67/00, A22c 13/00 [58] Field of Search ..53/197, 390; 17/42 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,529,401 9/1970 Sartore et al. ..53/197 Primary Examiner-Theron E. Condon Assistant ExaminerNeil Abrams Attorney-Kenwood Ross and Chester E. Flavin [451 Nov. 21, 1972 l 5 7 1 ABSTRACT Apparatus for sleeving butchers netting onto a magazine comprising, a sleeving device having an opening therein, a supply of netting extending through the opening to the magazine, guide means and resilient fingersintegral with the sleeving device and surrounding the opening and extending thereinto, the resilient fingers having offset free ends adapted for engagement with the netting on the magazine, whereby, upon movement of the sleeving device in one direction the guide means guide the apparatus relative to the magazine and the offset free ends of the fingers engage the netting and load it onto the magazine, and

upon movement of the sleeving device in an opposite direction, the guide means guide the apparatus relative to the magazine and the offset free ends of the fingers slide freely relative to the netting preparatory for the next purchase.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SLEEVING APPARATUS This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 41,005 now Pat. No. 3,657,861 filed May 27, 1970.

The invention is directed to apparatus for sleeving netting onto tubes or containers or magazines.

To my knowledge butchers netting has always been so sleeved completely by hand without the use of any tools.

It is a primary object hereof to provide a hand operated device for quickly and easily sleeving butchers netting onto a supply roll or tube or magazine.

Another object is the provision of a sleeving device which is extremely simple in its construction so as to be inexpensive in its manufacture and uncomplicated in its manner of use.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of sleeving apparatus incor porating a preferred form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the sleeving apparatus in operative use;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, part-sectional and elevational view of one of the netting engaging fingers and the netting magazine of the sleeving apparatus.

In the butchers trade, large cuts of meat are often encased in a sock-like sleeve of an elastic netting, the netting being applied thereto at a stuffing horn or like machine.

The netting is contained on hollow magazines of various sizes to accommodate different cuts of meat.

Heretofore, the sleeving of the netting on the magazines has been done by hand, the operator grasping the netting between his hands and pushing it down over the magazine. Of course, this procedure has been time-consuming and expensive.

By use of the invention hereof, a plurality of magazines may be quickly and easily loaded or sleeved with netting.

In the drawing, the netting is indicated at 10 and comprises stretchable longitudinally and laterallyextending strands interconnected to form an open-ended sock-like structure.

The netting is drawn from a roll or supply reel thereof, not shown, and is sleeved upon a magazine 12, preferably, but not necessarily, tubular and formed from a transparent, easy to clean plastic, the magazine being releasably supported or sleeved upon a stand extending upwardly from a base, also not shown.

The lower end of the netting is sleeved upon the magazine by the sleeving device of the invention, generally indicated by 20.

Sleeving device 20 comprises a plate-like body 22 having a central annular opening 24 therein of slightly larger diameter than that of magazine 12, and a plurality of freely rotatable guide wheels 26 surrounding opening 24 and having a portion of their peripheries extending into the opening so as to define an opening concentric with opening 24 and approximately the same diameter as that of magazine 12.

Guide wheels 26 are identical to each other and are each mounted on a shaft 28 joui'nalled at its ends relative to brackets 30 extending upwardly from the upper surface of body 22.

Brackets 30v are adjustably mounted relative to body 22 as by bolts 32 which extend through slots 34 in the brackets and are threaded in the body, whereby the guide wheels may be moved toward or away from central opening 24 to vary the size of the opening, making the sleeving device adaptable for use with magazines of various sizes.

A plurality of resilient fingers 40 additionally surround opening 24, the fingers being disposed between the guide wheels and having free end hook portions 42 extending into the opening so as to define an opening concentric with opening 24 and of slightly smaller siz than that of magazine 12.

An offset lower end portion 44 of each finger 40 is disposed in a groove 46 (see FIG. 4), on the lowersurface of a retaining segment 48 fixed to body 22 as by screws or bolts 50, thereby effectively retaining the lower end-of the finger while permitting free flexing movement of the hook portion thereof, for purposes to appear.

Apair of handles 52 is provided on the upper surface of body 22 so that the sleeving device may be easily moved.

Magazine 12 is provided with a removable cap 54 for the sleeving operation, the cap being provided with a plurality of vertically extending grooves 56, there being a groove for each of the resilient fingers 40, with the hook portion 42 of each finger being so positioned as to be adapted to bear on the base of its groove as the sleeving device is reciprocated relative to the cap.

In use, the netting is slipped through opening 24 of the sleeving device and over the cap and the upper end of the magazine.

The sleeving device is placed on the cap and the resilient fingers are able to hook over the horizontally extending strands of the netting since the strands are stretched taut over the grooves 56 in the cap and the hook portions extend into the grooves.

On the upward stroke of the sleeving device from the bottom of the magazine to the cap, the guide wheels continue to guide, but the hook portions do not grip the netting, but pass freely thereover.

When the sleeving device reaches the magazine cap,

it ismoved rapidly downwardly to push more netting onto the magazine. This procedure is repeated until the magazine is completely filled with netting, at which 4 time the netting is cut, and the loaded magazine is v a sleeving plate having a central opening therethrough, the size of the opening being substantially complemental to the size of the born with the sleeving plate being slidable in parallel spaced relation to the longitudinal axis of the horn.

plate relative to the horn, a plurality of net pulling resilient hooked fingers on the sleeving plate in circum'scribing manner about the opening and each being extendable inwardly toward and into a respective groove in the horn as the sleeving plate is guided downwardly for intermittenly engaging and pulling a portion of the netting over the outer surface of the horn upon downward movement of the sleeving plate and slidablyreturning over the outer surface of the so loaded netting upon upward movement of the sleeving plate.

2. In combination with a horn for netting, a sleeving device according to claim 1, including a cap on the horn, the cap having a plurality of grooves therein in which the hook portions of the resilient fingers are receivable.

V 3. in combination with a horn for netting, a sleeving device according to claim 1, wherein the guide means comprises a plurality of guide wheels adjustably and rotatably mounted upon and relative to the sleeving plate. 

1. A sleeving device for loading a length of elastic netting upon a grooved stuffing horn preparatory to any subsequent dispensing of the netting therefrom comprising the combination of: a sleeving plate having a central opening therethrough, the size of the opening being substantially complemental to the size of the horn with the sleeving plate being slidable in parallel spaced relation to the longitudinal axis of the horn and with the horn being receivable through the opening of the sleeving plate, a plurality of guide means on the sleeving plate in circumscribing manner about the opening and extending into the opening for guiding reciprocation of the sleeving plate relative to the horn, a plurality of net pulling resilient hooked fingers on the sleeving plate in circumscribing manner about tHe opening and each being extendable inwardly toward and into a respective groove in the horn as the sleeving plate is guided downwardly for intermittenly engaging and pulling a portion of the netting over the outer surface of the horn upon downward movement of the sleeving plate and slidably returning over the outer surface of the so loaded netting upon upward movement of the sleeving plate.
 1. A sleeving device for loading a length of elastic netting upon a grooved stuffing horn preparatory to any subsequent dispensing of the netting therefrom comprising the combination of: a sleeving plate having a central opening therethrough, the size of the opening being substantially complemental to the size of the horn with the sleeving plate being slidable in parallel spaced relation to the longitudinal axis of the horn and with the horn being receivable through the opening of the sleeving plate, a plurality of guide means on the sleeving plate in circumscribing manner about the opening and extending into the opening for guiding reciprocation of the sleeving plate relative to the horn, a plurality of net pulling resilient hooked fingers on the sleeving plate in circumscribing manner about tHe opening and each being extendable inwardly toward and into a respective groove in the horn as the sleeving plate is guided downwardly for intermittenly engaging and pulling a portion of the netting over the outer surface of the horn upon downward movement of the sleeving plate and slidably returning over the outer surface of the so loaded netting upon upward movement of the sleeving plate.
 2. In combination with a horn for netting, a sleeving device according to claim 1, including a cap on the horn, the cap having a plurality of grooves therein in which the hook portions of the resilient fingers are receivable. 